News of the Day From Across the Nation

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Updated 10:54 pm, Saturday, February 16, 2013

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1 Escapee slain: A prisoner who escaped in Texas after stabbing a detective with his eyeglasses was fatally shot early Saturday after refusing to cooperate with officers and lunging at them, police said. Alberto Morales, 42, was being transferred by car to Nevada, where he was to serve a sexual assault sentence. He was shot in a wooded area of Grapevine. Officers conducted a massive five-day manhunt after Morales escaped Monday. Miami-Dade, Fla., Detective Jaime Pardinas was treated for deep stab wounds to the neck, shoulder and back and a collapsed lung.

2Ambulance struck: A car collided with an ambulance early Saturday in downtown Indianapolis, killing one of two medics and severely injuring the other. The medic who died was identified as Tim McCormick, 24. The car's 21-year-old driver was released following a blood-alcohol test, police said.

3 Conviction vacated: An Alabama appeals court has vacated the 2009 conviction and death sentence of a man tried for killing four children by tossing them off a coastal bridge, ruling that publicity surrounding the case made it impossible for the suspect to have a fair trial in Mobile, where the crime occurred. The appeals court ordered a new trial for Lam Luong, whose wife testified that he laughed when he told her their children - whose ages ranged from 3 years to just 4 months - would never be found. Three of the children were Luong's while the other was his wife's from a prior relationship. The bodies of all four were recovered.

4 BMW recall: BMW is recalling almost 570,000 cars in the United States and Canada because a battery cable connector can fail and cause the engine to stall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website Saturday. The recall affects 3-Series sedans, wagons, convertibles and coupes from the 2007 through 2011 model years. Also included are 1-Series coupes and convertibles from 2008 through 2012, and the Z4 sports car from 2009 through 2011. The German automaker says dealers will replace the battery cable connector and secure it for free.

5 Firefighters killed: Two firefighters died Saturday from burns suffered in a fire at a Knights of Columbus hall in Bryan, Texas, officials said. Fire Lts. Gregory Pickard and Eric Wallace died, while two other firefighters were hospitalized in stable condition, said city spokeswoman Mary Stratta. The team entered the burning building about midnight Friday, but they didn't emerge when ordered to evacuated, Stratta said.

6 Courthouse bombing: The mastermind behind the 2008 bombing of a San Diego courthouse was sentenced Friday to 55 years in prison. Donny Love, 46, was convicted in 2011 of 10 counts, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. He denied having anything to do with the plot. Prosecutors say he arranged for the placement of three pipe bombs in front of the federal courthouse. The blast shattered glass doors but caused no injuries. Prosecutors say Love planned to collect a $75,000 reward by turning in one of the bombers.

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